Bryn Mawr, Beyond

BRYN MAWR, BEYOND

A strategic plan that digs deep, reaches out, and thinks ahead

VISION

To champion institutional excellence that empowers each Bryn Mawr girl—now and generations from now—to cultivate her uniqueness, explore her curiosity, express her creativity, act with integrity, own her voice, think inclusively, lead ethically, and grow to impact lives and communities beyond her own.

WHERE TOMORROW BEGINS

Welcome to the future of our school

Our new strategic plan builds on the values and practices that have made Bryn Mawr a transformative school for more than 135 years.

The plan calls on us to work (and play!) together, taking full advantage of the energy and ingenuity within our multigenerational community. It also calls on us to go beyond our campus, engage with our city and our world, form new partnerships and reach new audiences. At the center of the plan—at the center of everything we do— are the health and the growth of our students.

We’re proud to share this vision of tomorrow’s Bryn Mawr: balanced, buoyant, relevant, and rooted in a proud history.

THE NEXT LEVEL

A conversation with Sue Sadler, Head of School

Why does Bryn Mawr need a new strategic plan?

First, strong institutions plan for the future. Conducting a strategic planning process is a key marker of institutional health. Second, education doesn’t stand still. It’s always evolving, adapting and responding. A strategic plan allows us to think ahead, prepare for what’s next, and—this is very important—dream big. The last reason is that Bryn Mawr is flourishing. And that’s exactly when you want to make a plan: when you’ve got the essentials in place, and you’re operating at a high level. That’s when you know you’ve got what you need to get to the next level.

What’s the big picture here? What’s the one thing you want everyone to take away from the plan?

The pandemic has shown us and reminded us—that Bryn Mawr is more than an education; it’s a way of being, a set of values and habits that you carry with you throughout your life. It’s a lifelong community that has tangible meaning for generations of students.

The plan is built on that idea. It considers the foundational elements of our school—curricula, professional development, facilities, and more—but it sets them in a wider context. It asks: How does well-being empower excellence? How can students get a Bryn Mawr education wherever they are—in the classroom, of course, but also far beyond the classroom? It challenges us to bring the world to Bryn Mawr and to take Bryn Mawr to the world.

What will Bryn Mawr look like when the plan is brought to life? What will we see in five years?

We’ll see a campus that is an inspiring home to a healthy, energized multigenerational community. And we’ll see that community reaching out and making an impact in Baltimore and beyond.

We’ll see a more diverse faculty that finds joy and inspiration in working together. We’ll see students who feel free to be their full selves and who feel a genuine sense of belonging here.

We’ll see arts, academic and athletic facilities that match the ambition and capture the spirit of our students and faculty—spaces that are not only state of the art but also bright and uplifting.

We’ll see an experience that feels more integrated in every way. The days of silos are over. Our education should cross boundaries: campus and city, online and in person, theory and experience, current students and alumnae. Think of the energy that comes from bringing all those things together. That energy will power our future.

The plan challenges us to bring the world to Bryn Mawr and to take Bryn Mawr into the world.

WE WILL

LIVING WELL + LEARNING WELL 1

Create time and space for learning, restoration, and play, prioritizing an outstanding student experience from enrollment to graduation. Ensure that our program develops individual student identities, interests, talents and leadership. Reimagine schedules and spaces to increase access to arts and athletics opportunities.

Increase the visibility and availability of counseling and learning support to help students and employees balance their high aspirations with well-being. Identify research-informed strategies that cultivate well-being and positive identity development.

Invest in intentional recruitment and retention practices to attract and retain a diverse, inspiring, dynamic and talented faculty and staff that reflects the diversity in our student body and ensures that students will learn from experiences similar to and different from their own. Energize an approach to faculty and staff professional learning that cultivates camaraderie, collaboration, and continuous growth. Recognize, uplift, and share the talent and expertise of our employees.

We believe in a student experience in which well-being and excellence coexist—an education that is rooted in strong relationships, integrates ambition and joy, and allows girls to live considered, consequential lives.

FUELING EXCELLENCE

Our faculty and staff are the heart of our academic experience. Accomplished and dedicated, they drive students to explore, experiment, debate and engage. We’ll expand our investment in the well-being of faculty and staff, drawing on the wisdom of their varied experience and strengthening a culture of continuous growth. We’ll give them more opportunities to collaborate, explore new ideas and practices, and develop innovative curricula and programs. Our leadership in girls’ education depends on our leadership in securing and supporting an outstanding faculty and staff.

“The spirit of Bryn Mawr is the spirit of asking amazing questions. That’s what helps you move through the world with insight and compassion and joy. That’s what allows you to lead a considered life, to make an impact in your community, to be a satisfied and empowered person.”

— Georgia Summers ’01, Upper School English Department Chair

EXPANSIVE PROGRAMMING

We stand for holistic excellence. With programs in creative and performing arts, athletics, civic engagement, and tri-school coordination, plus a range of clubs and activities, students have an expansive—and expanding— list of opportunities for exploration and enrichment. This robust programming is where students cultivate belonging, foster positive identity development, grow their confidence and resilience, and come together through tenacity and teamwork. Every experience helps each Bryn Mawr student reach her highest potential.

BELONGING + FLOURISHING

WE WILL

1Use our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Action Plan as a blueprint for becoming a community of belonging that upholds and affirms diversity in all forms, including gender, race, religion, ethnicity, family composition, and socioeconomic background. Honor and nurture the differences within our community to teach our students to better understand and contribute to the wider world.

Leverage the power and creativity of our multigenerational community by developing and enhancing experiences and traditions that bring us together in a spirit of joy, inquiry, and shared values. Engage alumnae in the ongoing story of the school, creating a cross-generational network of visionary women who add to the opportunities for our students.

Create opportunities for flourishing and belonging through arts, athletics, affinity spaces, alumnae programming and a strengthened House System.

We will uphold the dignity of each member of our community, empower students to support one another, connect students to the mission and legacy of Bryn Mawr, and ensure that our graduates are curious, courageous and confident changemakers.

WE WILL

ENGAGING + EXTENDING 1

Power the Bryn Mawr learning experience through the intentional use of technology to extend Bryn Mawr’s reach, bringing the world to our classrooms and our classrooms to the world. Invest in the expansion of Bryn Mawr Online to deliver our education to new audiences and develop a national brand. Use our expertise in computer science, arts, and STEM to conduct research and develop projects that reach beyond our campus.

Design place-based and experiential learning opportunities that expand students’ understanding of where they live, allowing them to put learning into action and have an immediate impact on their communities.

Transform leadership programming to include and connect experiential learning opportunities such as service, travel, and internships. Reinvigorate our global programming and travel opportunities, widening our perspectives as citizens of the world.

We will put learning into action through projects that go beyond the classroom, partnerships that broaden opportunities, immersive experiences that transform thinking and technology that extends our reach.

VOICE&

How does Bryn Mawr develop confident, curious changemakers? By helping them find their voices to advocate for themselves and for others. Our Voice& approach begins in Little School, focused on wonder. In Lower School, students explore leadership values like collaboration and communication. Middle Schoolers envision, create and share innovative solutions to campus and community issues, while Upper School students turn their learning into impact. With Voice&, we are preparing young women for considered and consequential lives.

FEATURED INITIATIVE

CAMPUS RENEWAL

Great spaces inspire great thinking. To continue to be a leader in girls’ education, we’ll re-imagine, renovate, and build spaces that catalyze curiosity, spark creativity, and encourage connection and collaboration. We’ll honor the integrity of our landmark buildings—and create smart, sustainable spaces. At every step, we’ll allow for flexibility in the myriad ways we gather to learn, grow, perform, and celebrate together.

INVESTING + SUSTAINING

We will preserve Bryn Mawr’s legacy as a leader in girls’ education and ensure our future. To us, these goals are both a social responsibility and a financial commitment. We will steward a healthy, inclusive, and transformative Bryn Mawr into the future by engaging our community to encourage financial support of the school, investing in strategic advancement operations, and maximizing our financial resources.

WE WILL

1 2Champion the mission and vision of the school, inviting donors to join us in dreaming big, deepening our impact and leading the way in girls’ education. Cultivate a robust and inclusive culture of philanthropy and stewardship that supports increased student access to a transformative Bryn Mawr education.

Grow our endowment to ensure the school’s financial stability, allow greater institutional flexibility, and sustain our intergenerational impact. Support competitive compensation, benefits, and professional development for an exceptional faculty to attract and retain the most talented individuals.

3Invest in our campus to preserve its history, beauty and functionality, updating our current buildings and grounds and planning for new learning spaces that support the students of today and tomorrow. Develop a comprehensive long-range campus plan that is fiscally sound, aligned with environmental sustainability practices, and informed by the needs of our faculty and students.

THE BRYN MAWR SCHOOL 2021–2022 BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Monica Tucker P’16, ’19, Chair*

Joyce A. Kuhns ’75, Vice Chair

Anne Sapir DeMuth ’82, P’13, Treasurer

Geoffrey R.B. Carey P’18, Assistant Treasurer

Ellen Smith Dew ’01, P’31, Secretary**

Cynthia Amitin, MD ’85, P’20

Alisha Caruso, Faculty Representative, Ex-officio

Sandra Y. Cho, MD ’92, P’26, ’28

Howard “Pete” Colhoun P’82, ’84, ’92, Trustee Emeritus

Christine Cross P’21

Mary Hundley DeKuyper ’56, P’89, Trustee Emerita

Cristina Jacobs Easton ’02**

Nicole Foster ’02

Jennie Lee Williams Fowlkes ’65, P’89, ’91, ’96; GP’29, Trustee Emerita

Helene Grady P’22

Lexie Bozzuto Greene ’95, P’25

Sherita Harrison P’22, President, Parents’ Association

Kiana Hebron ’95

Rebecca D. Henry P’10*

Joy Napier-Joyce P’20*

Melanie Lennon P’30

Emily Brosi Prevas ’98, P’28, ’32, President, Alumnae Association

Peter Rubin P’18, ’21

Sue Sadler, Head of School, Ex-officio*

Georgia D. Smith ‘72, P‘01; GP‘32, ‘33

Tom Spies P’94; GP’27

Sheryl Stephenson P’15, ’18

Kathy Martien Sullivan ’74, Retired Trustee*

Georgia Summers ’01, Faculty Representative, Ex-officio Mark Weigman P’20, ’22

Betsy Strobel Wilgis ’58, P’87, Trustee Emerita

Ted Winstead P’22*

Rhonda Smith Wright ’95, P’27

Jennifer Sheff Yeagle ’97, P’27, ’30*

*Strategic Plan Task Force Member

**Strategic Plan Task Force Co-Chair

Cristina Jacobs Easton ’02, Co-Chair, Strategic Plan Task Force

Produced in collaboration with Generation Branding & Communication (generation.is)

/ Photo (R) by Anne Stuzin, P‘15, ’17

“This is an exciting moment to be at Bryn Mawr. We’re standing on an incredible foundation—and we’re looking ahead in ways that are inspiring. There’s so much to love here—and there’s so much momentum to go beyond.”

—

MISSION

The Bryn Mawr School inspires a passion for intellectual curiosity, emphasizes the delights and demands of learning, and nurtures the full potential of our young women in mind, body, and spirit. To prepare our students for lifelong learning and leadership, we are deeply committed to academic excellence, ethical decision-making, and the dignity of all people.

A Bryn Mawr education is grounded in the expectation that young women will be resilient in the face of complexity, ambiguity, and change; will become responsible and confident participants in the world; and will lead considered and consequential lives.